Wow! Great opening episode. All the teams got some screen time, and everyone’s different enough that it’s easy to tell who’s who without having to concentrate. And I’ll admit to feeling a chill down my spine when Phil said the word, “racearoundtheworld.” Since this season really is a racearoundtheworld, it’s time to bring back the
Taxi Assessment
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
John & Scott - What the Hell happened to this team? They were on the first plane that landed in Sao Paolo, and immediately began dropping farther and farther back. Bad taxi luck is certainly part of of the problem, but walking around aimlessly didn’t help, and they’ve gotta just be sloooow on top of that. Unless they did an off-camera Roadblock that no one else did, I suppose. Anyway poor racers, first elimination, and we’ll not see this team until the finale.
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
Lisa & Joni - Hint: “Slow and steady” does not win the race. Steady is OK, but slow? Not so much. They walked instead of ran, booked the wrong tickets, gabbled around in circles…not the hallmarks of good racers. To be blunt, if I may: I don’t see this team beating anyone. Unless another team makes a major blunder, effectively beating themselves, we’ll be blessed with Lisa and Joni’s bon mots for only another week.
Danielle & Dani - Good work getting on the first flight out, but what were you thinking trying to put together a motorcycle? Actually, scratch that: I think I know what they were thinking. They thought they could get someone to help them because they’re so sex-ay. I’m a big fan of getting help from the local populace, but that shouldn’t be a primary strategy. Major blunder, and if it’s a harbinger of future performance, this team will be long forgotten in a month.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Fran & Barry - Ah, the sacrificial old-folks team. To be honest, I had my hopes up for this team. They look good on paper, with a lot of travel experience and athletic hobbies, despite their age. However, they made two blunders this week: not spotting the clue box and choosing the wrong Detour (and then changing). If that’s how they race, they’re not gonna be in this for long. It’s possible this episode was an anomaly, and they’re actually much stronger racers. We’ll see next week.
"Rapido! Por Favor?" - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Ray & Yolanda - This is a middle-of-the-pack team right now, mostly because I haven’t seen much of anything from them. They seem to have a good relationship (an important intangible). This team was my pre-season pick, and I expect them to go up, but they’ll have to show some racing skills (and a finish better than seventh) to do that.
Lake & Michelle - It’s early, and this team is giving out mixed signals. Lake’s an ass, that’s given, but that doesn’t directly affect the team’s racing skillz…except for the fact that he’s a cocky ass, and doesn’t read all the directions (and, apparently, not reading is only “partially” his fault). So they make a major blunder and waste time reserving and then cancelling tickets over the phone, dropping them to last place. However, after that, they hammer through the Detour and come in fifth, ahead of everyone else on their flight and three other teams who landed before they did. Impressive. My sense is this team will be around until Lake rushes headlong over a cliff, yelling, “don’t second guess me!”
Joseph & Monica - Another team I haven’t seen much from. Sixth ain’t so bad, but Monica seems inclined to be weepy at small setbacks, and that seems to bother Joseph, and if there’s anything the Amazing Race is, it’s a series of small setbacks. I have a bad feeling this is one of the “we’re going on the Amazing Race to test how strong our relationship is” type of teams. Still, they have potential, and the Race is yet young.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
David & Lori - Yes, nerds, but does this team have racing skills? They were smart enough to jump to flight two after seeing the line for flight one, but they made a couple small slip-ups: fumbling the building ID for the helicopter flight and entering the Pit Stop stadium through the wrong gate. They recovered nicely from both, so they’re comfortably ahead of the pack for now. They seem kind of laid-back, and I wonder if they’ve got the spark to stick it out for the full race. Maybe that attitude is good, and it’ll keep them calm and relaxed. We’ll see.
Wanda & Desiree - A contrast to David and Lori: Wanda’s wound a bit tight. That’s good when it comes to driving yourself through the race, but that also might signal an early flameout. Still, a top-three finish this week looks pretty good. If they were men, I’d say they looked good for a top-three finish at the end of the Race, but since a lot of tasks seem slanted toward teams with greater upper-body strength, and Wanda & Desiree look petite, I’m not so sure.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
BJ & Tyler - Second place, good leg. Fairly bright twenty-something males with travel experience makes this the team to beat. And they’re so funny, all the locals will flock to them in admiration. Yep.
Eric & Jeremy - Smart move switching to the second flight instead of waiting in line for the first, and otherwise a flawless first leg. A first-place finish, and I have to give them the nod for a top rating. However, I have a suspicion that they’re not as bright as, say BJ & Tyler, and they might tend to do something stupid in the future. Maybe I’m wrong; we’ll see.
Next week: Umm… the second leg, and Things Happen. In the jungle, apparently. And I suppose Fran and Barry don’t get eliminated, since they’re prominently In Trouble in the teaser.
[sub]Props to Mullinator and his Raj Ratings.[/sub]
